The Next Great Adventure
by lobelia07
Summary: What do you know, Dumbledore was right. Follow the former Headmaster as he journeys into the next world, and reunites with those who are determined to help this one. Obvious HBP spoilers.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- I own nothing goes to wallow in self pity Hey, but good for J.K. Rowling, huh?

Author's note- This story should be interesting…. I still haven't worked out where all I'm going with this, but I'm having fun so far, so hopefully it'll be good. It should be a book seven type story with a spin or two. I might skip around with the point-of-views though, so bear with me!

The Next Great Adventure

Chapter 1

He couldn't feel the actual spell. The harsh emerald light illuminated his dying features, lifted him high above the tower, but he did not feel it. All he felt was the revulsion behind it; the pain and hatred that fueled it.

In the second that it took him to die, Dumbledore gazed down through the haze of confusing emotions, smothered in that suffocating green light, to spare a last fleeting glance at the stretch of seemingly blank stone wall below him. Any knowledge he had left – any strength, or bravery, or hope – he silently prayed would pass to the boy hidden beneath him. He hoped that Harry Potter, now immobilized, wrapped in his father's invisibility cloak, would understand – would know what to do.

And then he was falling. He fell through space and time, through everything he never understood and everything he did. The green light faded imperceptibly into darkness and he fell, never really reaching the ground.

* * *

His eyes were burning with a dazzling bright white light. He blinked, but could not shake the blinding light pressing against him, blocking out everything else. His skin felt like it was bubbling, as though he had just taken a draft of Polyjuice Potion – his ears popped incessantly. As he stood there (or at least, he thought he was standing, it was difficult to tell), waves of different smells and tastes passed over him. In one moment, he could detect the unmistakable scent of raspberries, and in the next, his senses would be overwhelmed with the taste of peppermint humbugs.

Through all the confusion, through the overpowering sensations encompassing him, he suddenly felt a hand reach forward and grip his shoulder. All at once, everything stopped. He found himself standing in a grand garden, illuminated with a soft golden light. His eyes searched his surroundings, taking in the bright colors of the flowers, growing steadily throughout a sea of green grasses and leaves. A number of paths branched out from the place where he stood, which he took to be the center of the garden. One path opened up onto an expansive wooden bridge, that stretched out farther than his eyes would allow him to see. It was a while before he remembered why he was there, or even that he had no idea where 'there' was.

But then the hand, still resting upon his shoulder, tightened slightly and let go. Dumbledore looked around to find two men standing behind him. James Potter looked exactly as he had remembered him; same dark, messy hair, same brilliant, hazel eyes, same exuberant smile…. Sirius Black, however, looked different, to put it simply. His face, far from being so hollowed and gaunt from all those years at Azkaban, was full and shining, the way it had been so many years ago.

"_What _did I tell you about Snape, eh?" Sirius began. "Always knew he was an evil g – hey!" he was broken off quite suddenly as James elbowed him in the stomach.

"We can get to that later, you prat," muttered James. "Don't you think we should explain a few things first?"

"Oh, right," said Sirius.

Dumbledore didn't speak. He felt as though some force was somehow preventing him from even trying, so he simply looked upon the two old friends as they talked.

"You'll be able to talk again soon," said James as if reading his mind. "It's just at first that you can't say anything. I think it's either the shock of, well, dying, or that you're just supposed to listen for the first part of the time that you're here."

"We should probably move, though," said Sirius. "You know, just in case someone else arrives while we're here."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. Here, we can just sit here for a moment before we meet up with Lily," James said, walking over to a large stone bench on the edge of the garden.

Sirius nodded and began to follow, but as he moved, Dumbledore finally noticed the entrance through which he had arrived. It was the archway … a massive stone archway hung with a fluttering, black veil. Dumbledore stared at it, silently examining it. It wasn't like the one in the Department of Mysteries – not exactly. Unlike the one through which he had seen Sirius fall, this one did not have the appearance that it was falling apart. It stood tall and firm, and although it represented something so grave as death, it had a graceful beauty about it.

Sirius had stopped to see what Dumbledore was looking at. "Oh yeah, the veil," he said, his eyes turned toward the archway, gazing at it with an unfathomable intensity. "It's funny; most souls pass through it after death. For me, it's how I died….

He sighed. "Well, come on, Professor."

Dumbledore tore his gaze from the veil, which continued to move as though just touched, and followed Sirius to the bench. Moving here was like moving around in a memory. Just as in his Pensieve, walking was more dreamlike, as though he weren't completely solid.

He sat between Sirius and James, still observing everything around him and waiting for one of them to speak.

"Well, erm, it's nice to see you again, sir," said James quietly. Dumbledore smiled at him, his blue eyes twinkling reminiscently.

James smiled too, and then continued, "Welcome to Heaven. Well, _technically_ it's Heaven anyway. It's actually more like a stage of Heaven, really."

"Yeah, sort of like a limbo," added Sirius. "You stay here until you're ready to let go of the world you left behind; until you can move on, so to speak."

"Here you can still watch everything that happens on Earth," said James. "Well, not everything. For some reason or other we've never been able to see into any of Voldemort's schemes, or anyone's on his side for that matter. But we've been able to watch over the people we loved and cared about in life."

"It's like knowing everything and yet still being completely clueless," Sirius sighed. "You would've thought that death would bring something a little more satisfying, like a complete knowledge of the inner workings of the universe for instance."

"I think the next stage does bring something like that," James said pensively. "Maybe not something quite as elaborate as what you'd like to know, but more of an understanding … like what your life meant, basically."

"Wow, Heaven sure has made you more insightful, Prongs," Sirius laughed.

"_Anyway_," said James, choosing to ignore this particular comment as he turned back to Dumbledore, "we're meant to be your guides as you get used to the whole death thing. Everyone has a guide when they first get here, usually someone they knew in life."

"Turns out you knew a lot of people in life," said Sirius, "but we're some of the only ones still _here_."

"Yep," James grinned, "so you're stuck with us…. And I think that's about it, for now anyway. You'll probably have loads of questions, but we can fill you in along the way.

"Lily can't wait to see you," he grinned suddenly. "She's been in an outrage since we saw you die."

"We thought it'd be best if we left her behind until we talked to you," said Sirius, grinning too, "but we can go see her now. In fact, we should probably go anyway; it looks like someone else is about to get here," he added, nodding toward a tall, middle-aged woman who was smiling at them as she made her way down one of the paths to the archway.

James and Sirius stood and began leading the way down another one of the nearby paths. Dumbledore, however, remained seated. A curious sensation had just come over him. He knew, without knowing how he knew it, that he could speak again.

"So tell me," he began, his voice hoarse as though he hadn't used it in a long time, "why haven't either of you moved on?"

The two halted, turning around. James exchanged a sideways glance with Sirius before replying, "Would you be able to move on, if your son was the only one who could defeat the most evil wizard that ever lived? The circumstances have always been different with Harry…. Do you think Lily could move on, knowing that he would be spending ten miserable years with that horrible sister of hers? We had to watch over him – make sure he'd be alright."

"More and more witches and wizards have been staying here, refusing to go on," said Sirius grimly. "They need to see the end of this war. They need to know that their families are safe."

Dumbledore stood to join them. "And how do they do that?"

"We'll show you," said James. He turned once more, leading the way.

As they moved forward, Dumbledore gazed around yet again, trying to take everything in. They passed the vast bridge that he had spotted earlier, and Sirius spoke to him softly.

"The bridge to Heaven," he said. "Well, the next stage of Heaven anyway. They say that when it's time for you to move on, you just know, and that's when you cross the bridge."

For a man who was always so inescapably omniscient during life, this whole experience was simply unsteadying for Dumbledore. He had never had so many questions, so many uncertainties. It appeared that death was indeed a different journey entirely. It really was the next great adventure.

* * *

Author's note- Well, I hope you enjoyed chapter one. I don't know when I'll be able to get the next one up (stupid school …), but I'll try to get it up sometime soon. Reviews are always appreciated! 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer- Definitely J.K. Rowling's…. Especially the parts actually _from_ the books.

Author's note- Sorry it's taken me a while, but as I predicted, school always interferes. What is with giving homework on the first day anyway? Well, here's chapter two, hope you like, and thanks to any and all reviewers for your comments and criticism:

**Lily Laurelinn-** If only I knew exactly what I was doing! I still haven't figured out everything. Dumbledore is such a difficult character to write because he always knows everything, and I can't know everything because I'm not J.K. Rowling. I don't think it'll be all through his perspective, which is why I again beg that you'll bear with me!** Carey Miles-** I was horrified too, which I guess is why I'm writing this story; to get my speculations out. Not to mention that it's quite entertaining. Thanks. **Alex202-** Well, thank you! **J. Rolande-** Wow, I appreciate that, thank you. I hope I can live up to your praise. **George Heichelheim-** I don't know how much I'm going to include about Hell yet, but I certainly will consider that; sounds like a good idea. **Firewall- **Well, I'm glad that you did decide to read it and even happier that you enjoyed it, thank you! **Excessivelyperky- **Yeah, that should be interesting (I say that because I don't even know where exactly it's going in regards to Snape yet, but I'll definitely go into it somehow.) **sari5156- **Thank you very much. **Mog-everything- **I'm glad that you enjoyed it! **KillinBuddy- **You'reinsane, and Dumbledore did not deserve to die … stop hitting him with a fish. **Laubo Giden-** Coming from a non-Harry Potter person, you give some of the best praise I've ever gotten. Thanks for the support. Cows kick ass! **Blusugar2- **Thank you so much. Your comments were wonderful and I appreciate them more than I could say. I would never dream of making you mad, but you should know better than anyone how much school can suck beyond the telling of it. Are we really up to three games! We need lives. **Thanks to all the anonymous reviewers as well!**

The Next Great Adventure

Chapter 2

They continued to move down the path, which had now begun to wind around more and more exotic looking plants. Brilliant patches of colorful pansies and petunias now grew amid wild bushes and rows of what could only be mandrakes.

"I think this is where plants come after they die too," said Sirius, sounding slightly disgusted as he ducked beneath the low branches of an avocado tree. "I could swear I've seen a fern here somewhere that I had forgotten to water…."

"_Sure _you did, Padfoot," sniggered James.

"Don't use that tone with me," said Sirius with a look of indignation that faded slowly to a smirk as he continued, "Like you can really talk anyway, making me help you follow that stupid cat around that you thought had belonged to your grandmother."

"It had very similar markings…." James muttered.

Sirius turned to Dumbledore, laughing now, and said, "By the time we tracked it down, it was curled in the arms of a ten year-old little girl who had apparently died the previous day. She looked terrified when James asked if he could see her cat."

"I'm sure she was fine after we left," James grumbled while Dumbledore began to chuckle.

Sirius recovered himself slightly as James threw him a dirty look and Dumbledore said, "Well, it certainly seems as though you two are happy here."

James shrugged slightly and responded in a rather unconvincing tone, "I suppose."

Dumbledore looked at him questioningly, silently prompting him to continue.

"Heaven is," James began tentatively, "well, it's-."

"It's boring," interjected Sirius.

"To put it bluntly," James nodded. "Don't get us wrong," he said to Dumbledore, "it is great here. I mean, no pain, peaceful surroundings, and basically everything wonderful that you could ever imagine. It's just, we'd rather be down there, fighting, helping."

"It's so frustrating," said Sirius, "being able to see everything going on and being so helpless to do anything about it … almost like life in Grimmauld Place, only prettier and with better company."

Dumbledore gave them a small smile. "But if you're so attached to life on Earth," he began, "if you're so desperate to return, then why did you not become ghosts when you died? What is the dividing line between staying and moving on?"

"Fear," said Sirius simply. "People who die and become ghosts only do so because they are afraid of letting go. Most people fear death, of course, fear the unknown, but ghosts simply have an intense trepidation of abandoning the world. The fear of what lies beyond keeps the imprint of their souls firmly attached to Earth."

"You see, we understood that death would happen, that it was an inevitable part of life," James added. "So, we were ready to die in a sense."

The path had started to open up now, and a glorious stone courtyard was visible through the long, swaying branches of a massive willow tree, which overshadowed the path's end.

James stopped before this and turned to Dumbledore once more. "However shocked or surprised you are when you die, for most people, there is this understanding. They may resent death - hate it, fear it - but somewhere inside them they always knew it would happen. With this acceptance they begin to develop something else in their lives, something they may not even be fully aware of."

"Faith," said Dumbledore quietly.

James nodded. "Some type of faith within them that lets them know that whatever happens, ultimately everything will be alright."

He started off again toward the end of the path, now following Sirius who had moved forward to take the lead through the forest of tendril-like willow branches.

As they stepped out into the courtyard, the golden light that had brightened everything with a daytime glow began to fade, revealing a number of sparkling stars painted onto a soft, periwinkle sky.

"Time is really shifty here," said Sirius to Dumbledore. "It's almost as though it doesn't even exist. One moment it'll be day, and in the next it'll be nighttime. There may be three feet of snow on the ground when you wake up, and five minutes later the sun'll come out and the whole place will be filled with those annoying chirping birds."

"The only way we can really keep track of how long we've been here is by watching what happens down on Earth," said James, as they made their way to the center of the courtyard, where stood what appeared to be an enormous birdbath. "And we do that by using-."

"Albus!" the rest of James' words were lost as a delighted squeal rang out from the direction of the birdbath structure. A figure sprinted toward them, her shining red hair fanning out behind her like a brilliant curtain. Lily Potter stopped before them and embraced Dumbledore who hugged her in return with the care of a father.

"We were absolutely _mortified_ when we saw it happen!" she began, relinquishing her hold on him. "I mean, that _he_ would, well, that you could actually … and that poor boy, he's supposed to be married! That note – R.A.B. – it's all so overwhelming! You-you, well, I wasn't even sure you _could_ die. Oh, and if I could get my hands on Severus Snape-."

"Er, honey," James broke in, "maybe just one thing at a time. And, you know, it might be nice if you spoke in a language we could all understand."

"Oh, yes, sorry," Lily breathed, but Dumbledore merely smiled down at her. "It's wonderful to see you, Lily," he said. "Although I suppose the circumstances could be better."

"Yes, well, come sit down," said Lily, leading the way. Sirius and James followed behind them, rolling their eyes at her slight insanity.

As they drew nearer to it, the object in the center of the courtyard began to resemble more of a Pensieve than a birdbath. It was a low stone basin set on a pedestal and encircled by several elegant wooden chairs. A soft, shimmering silver light emanated from its contents, which flowed as if neither liquid nor gas.

They each took a seat in one of the chairs and Lily, seeing Dumbledore's transfixed gaze on the object before him, began once more, "This is how we see everything down on Earth. Though, I expect the guys have already filled you in on that…."

"We were about to, dear," said James, smiling, "but then you so enthusiastically made your appearance and all thought of doing so was wiped from our minds."

Lily gave him a playful scowl and then continued, "Well, we don't really have a name for this, but I assume you've already gathered that it works rather like a Pensieve?" All you have to do is to think of someone whom you'd like to see and it'll just … show you. Of course, it never shows anyone truly evil – not their plans or anything. It's almost as though it guards itself against things like that."

"I suppose that's why we didn't even know what Snape was planning to do," said Sirius. "We never really saw him much when he wasn't at Hogwarts or at headquarters … not that we tried very hard, mind you," he added with a look of revulsion.

"So how does this work when multiple people wish to use it?" asked Dumbledore, avoiding the topic of Snape for the moment.

"Well," said Lily, "they simply see different things if they are thinking of different people. And if they aren't, one person can think of someone, and the rest can just look on, watching the same as them."

"For instance," said James with a rye smile, "if I were to think of Harry, then you could sit back and watch, if you wanted to.

He gestured toward the basin as he said this, and Dumbledore peered into it, where the silvery mass had now begun to swirl. It cleared slowly, and then focused on a dimly lit room which he realized with a jolt was his office … or it had been anyway. He was surprised, at first, to find that it was rather crowded, considering he was no longer there to occupy it. But then, of course, reality struck as he looked down upon Professor McGonagall, surrounded by Hagrid, Professor Flitwick, Professor Sprout, Professor Slughorn, and Harry…. He was dead, what would happen now?

"- for the Hogwarts Express to come tomorrow if necessary," Professor McGonagall was saying briskly.

"What about Dumbledore's funeral?" asked Harry.

Dumbledore watched him sadly. He couldn't help feeling guilty for leaving Harry alone, however helpless he had been to do otherwise.

Professor McGonagall faltered slightly. "Well … I-I know that it was Dumbledore's wish to be laid to rest here, at Hogwarts-."

"Then that's what'll happen, isn't it?" Harry implored.

"If the Ministry thinks it appropriate."

Dumbledore couldn't help but smile as he distinctly heard Sirius mutter, "Who gives a damn what the bloody Ministry thinks," in response to Professor McGonagall's statement.

"No other headmaster of headmistress has ever been-."

"No other headmaster of headmistress ever gave more to this school," said Hagrid, causing Dumbledore to glow with a thankful happiness. He had always appreciated Hagrid's irrevocable loyalty.

"Hogwarts should be Dumbledore's final resting place," said Professor Flitwick.

"Absolutely," said Professor Sprout.

"And in that case," said Harry, "you shouldn't send the students home until the funeral's over. They'll want to say-."

"Good-bye," finished Professor Sprout.

A hard lump rose in Dumbledore's throat. He watched as the others agreed, and then as Harry left his office before the Ministry delegation arrived. The image faded on the dark and lonely corridors of Hogwarts, but the resounding notes of Fawkes' song echoed loudly within him, seemingly shaking the very boundaries of Heaven, before they too eventually dissipated.

Dumbledore glanced up at James who said simply, "You were loved by a lot of people."

He turned to Lily, whose emerald eyes were brimming with tears, and asked her with a sudden, burning curiosity, "What happened after I died? What happened to Harry, Lily?"

"We can talk about that later," she sniffed. "You've traveled a long way, your soul needs to rest." And without even allowing room for protest, she rose from her chair, apparently waiting for him to follow.

He consented, only after recognizing her mom-ish desire to take care of him. It was rather like being in the company of Molly Weasley, which meant, of course, that there would be no argument.

She led him around to the edge of the courtyard while James and Sirius remained behind. An endless array of buildings and doors lined the cobbled walkway down which they now strode, each seemingly identical to the next but for the names emblazoned above every entrance. Dumbledore glanced at these as they passed, every now and then feeling a slight twinge as he spotted names like Emmeline Vance or Florean Fortescue, which were certainly more familiar than others.

"These are our quarters," said Lily suddenly. "Where we stay while we're here. They look sort of dull from the outside," she smiled, "but the inside of each is designed as the one place you were most comfortable on Earth; the one place you were most at home. James and I live in Godric's Hollow."

Lily sighed. "Everything here seems to be made of the purest form of magic, Dumbledore," she said. "It's like this is where it all began. Hope, loyalty, love- all the things that Earth has too little of are right here; they started it all. You've always believed that love is the most powerful form of magic, and here's the proof. You can feel it here, vibrating off of everything. I only hope it can help Harry in the end."

"It will," said Dumbledore.

Lily smiled again. "Even in death, you still know everything?"

"I don't," he said, also smiling down at her. "My heart simply tells me that it will."

They walked on a little further until at last they came to a plain looking door with 'Albus Dumbledore' etched in the stone above it. Two doors down was Lily and James' door, which stood beside Sirius'.

"Well, here you are," said Lily. "You should get in, go to sleep. Although it's mainly your body that needs to eat and sleep when you're alive, they're good for the soul too, which I suppose is why we still do them here."

"Thank you, Lily," said Dumbledore.

As she turned to leave, though, Dumbledore called her back. "Just tell me," he said, "was anyone else killed during the fight?"

"No," she said reassuringly. "That boy – Bill Weasley – he was mauled by Greyback. "He'll be pretty scarred, but he's alright."

Dumbledore let out a small sigh of relief. "Thank you," he said again.

Lily smiled and turned to meet up with James who had begun to walk their way.

Dumbledore slowly turned the knob to his room, not quite knowing what to expect. When the door swung open, it was to the most astonishing sight he had ever seen, both on Earth and in Heaven. It was the entrance hall to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Before him stretched the grand marble staircase, and on the right, two vast doors opened into the Great Hall with its velvety black, star strewn ceiling.

Dumbledore silently closed the door behind him and stood back to gape at his surroundings. Everything was exactly where it should be and he knew, somehow, that he was home.

He had started toward the staircase when something suddenly caught his eye. He could see, from a window he had not noticed from the outside, the shimmering light from the basin in the center of the courtyard. Silhouetted in its glow was the lone figure of Sirius Black.

* * *

Author's Note- Thanks for reading! No idea when Ch. 3 will be up, but I hope you enjoyed, and any reviews would be dandy!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Don't own, nuff said. Go J.K. Rowling!

Author's note- Definite thanks to you:

**Excessivelyperky- **Yes, I can see that inquiring minds want to know, including mine, lol.I haven't figured everything out yet, but I certainly will answer your questions somehow (I hope, I pray…. Oh, just read and I will!). **KillinBuddy-** I know, I know, I know! I wrote myself into a corner with that one, but it should be answered in about the first paragraph … I love my loopholes. We all know you don't like him, get over it already, he's dead! **Scardi-** I appreciate your comments, thanks! Definitely more interaction, and as for the intervening, well you'll just have to read and find out (which in cryptic writer terms means, yes, of course.) **Alex202-** God, I love that comment. To ease your thoughts, this will most certainly not be a Remus/Sirius story. Thanks for the review, and I can totally understand about the "too lazy to log in," lol. **Laubo**- Or should I say "CowsLovePennies?" Thanks for the wonderful review, as always, and remember to always wear your party hat, 'Sexy Sith.'

**And thanks to anyone reading (and hopefully enjoying) this story!**

The Next Great Adventure

Chapter 3

Living in an immense, empty castle might seem like it would be a dreadful, lonely experience, but as Dumbledore soon discovered, he was far from alone. He couldn't quite explain it to himself, but it was almost as if every student he has ever taught and every professor he had ever worked with was somehow with him. Although he couldn't see them, he could feel them with an unwavering certainty. Their souls pressed around him so tangibly, comforting him with their presence. He knew – he felt rather – that all of them, alive and dead, were safe, which filled him with a comfortable happiness.

The past two days in Heaven had been immersed in questions and countless new discoveries. Every moment was so different, so new, so unexpected from the last, that it gave the impression of eternity. Nothing was the same, and yet everything was the same. Sights, sounds, and experiences were always changing, but the people forever remained constant. They were the people Dumbledore knew, and he saw them this way.

Lily had filled him in on the events immediately following his death, just as she had promised she would. The news of the false Horcrux especially interested him, and yet he couldn't begin to fathom who this 'R.A.B.' was. He was obviously a Death Eater from what Lily has said about the note, but somehow the name would not come to mind.

Dumbledore spent most of his time greeting people he had known in life and who were now mostly still waiting to witness the fate of the Wizarding world. Lily, James, and Sirius reacquainted him with old friends like Dorcas Meadowes and Marlene McKinnon, who were also killed during the first war. Frank and Alice Longbottom dropped in for frequent visits as well, Lily explaining that people in their condition are often lost between the two worlds.

"They were driven into insanity," she had said. "Their souls are just … confused. When they're more reachable on Earth, it's because their souls are more powerful inside them at the time. However, when they're more distant, it's usually because their presence in Heaven is stronger."

In any case, Dumbledore enjoyed having conversations with Neville's kind-hearted parents as they watched over their son from the basin in the courtyard. They were such wonderful, powerful people, and although it wasn't always evident, Dumbledore could tell that Neville had inherited their bravery.

Today, the couple was as present as ever in Heaven; Dumbledore found them by the edge of the basin just before the services were due to start. Sirius arrived soon after, followed by James and Lily, their hands interlaced in delicate matrimony.

"Did you want us to wear black robes?" asked Sirius with a smile. "Because I can change if you like."

Dumbledore chuckled. "That won't be necessary, but thank you Sirius. I already find it quite morbid enough, watching my own funeral."

"Hey, at least you have a funeral to watch," said James. "Poor Padfoot here didn't even have a body to bury."

"As he reminds us with each and every single funeral," said Lily, rolling her eyes.

"You had a nice ceremony in Godric's Hollow," said Sirius. "Granted, I didn't get to attend while locked up in Azkaban, but I still don't think you can really talk."

"Aw, cheer up, Sirius," said Frank, unaware of the awkwardness of this statement as they were sitting down to watch a funeral. By this time, people in Heaven and on Earth were already joining them. "Your soul, at least, has made up its mind where it wants to stay. I'd rather be completely dead than know how much pain I cause my son by still being alive."

There was a somewhat uncomfortable pause following these words. Frank Longbottom, albeit not nearly as painfully honest as Luna Lovegood, often had the tendency to break up a light hearted conversation with simple, yet truthful, facts.

"Oh!" exclaimed Alice suddenly, startling the group around her. "It's starting – look!"

Dumbledore looked into the basin onto the sunny day laid out before him. The rolling grass hills on the Hogwarts grounds were cluttered with masses of chairs filled with people wishing to pay their respects. He couldn't believe how beautiful it all was; the bright colors of the beginning of summer along with the crystal blue of the lake. If it weren't for all of the tearful faces, the scene would have epitomized perfect happiness and peace.

Hagrid was bearing his body up to the marble table in front of the congregation. Dumbledore's heart went out to the man as he stumbled back to his seat a moment later, led by the enormous form of his half-brother, Grawp. At least he wasn't alone.

A man had gotten up to speak, but Dumbledore paid him no attention. He didn't need nor want to hear how noble he'd been in life. No, his mind had wandered to the people assembled on the grounds. He watched as Lupin grasped Tonks' hand in his, and as Fleur Delacour embraced her mangled fiancé. He watched as the merpeople broke the surface of the lake, and as the centaurs moved among the trees. Then, quite suddenly, he felt a kind of tremor. He saw Harry, saw the resolve and determination in those emerald eyes. A lone tear streaked down Dumbledore's face and plunged through the surface of the contents in the basin. On Earth, his body became enveloped in burning white flames and a phoenix was cast up through the smoke before the tomb formed – his final farewell.

* * *

He hardly noticed when the guests began to move, both below him and above him. He didn't realize that Amelia Bones had come forward to give him a hug or that Ron Weasley was stroking Hermione Granger's hair in consolation. All he saw at the moment was Harry. For almost 17 years Dumbledore had watched over him, ensuring his safety and hopefully that of the world. Now the moment had come. As Harry said good-bye to his relationship with Ginny Weasley, as he clutched that hard, cold locket, he knew what he was supposed to do. Dumbledore couldn't have been prouder – or sadder.

The only people that remained sitting with him were James, Lily, Sirius, Frank, and Alice. The rest had gotten up to begin a celebration slightly similar to a Death Day Party, but with much better food. Dumbledore surveyed the scene in the basin, where Rufus Scrimgeour, Minister of Magic, was talking to Harry.

"The word is that you were with him when he left the school the night that he died," he was saying.

"Whose word?" said Harry.

"Someone Stupified a Death Eater on top of the tower after Dumbledore died. There were also two broomsticks up there. The Ministry can add two and two, Harry."

"Glad to hear it," said Harry, causing his godfather to smirk. "Well, where I went with Dumbledore and what we did is my business. He didn't want people to know."

"Such loyalty is admirable, of course," began Scrimgeour, "but Dumbledore is gone, Harry. He's gone."

"He will only be gone from the school when none here are loyal to him." An odd shiver passed over Dumbledore as Harry said this, as he gave a slight smile; he had understood.

"My dear boy … even Dumbledore cannot return form the-."

"I am not saying he can," interrupted Harry. "You wouldn't understand. But I've got nothing to tell you."

Dumbledore sighed and let the images fade into a swirling mass once more. The others gazed at him, no one speaking until finally, "You've avoided the subject long enough," said Sirius, "now tell us why. Why did you trust Snape for so long? How could you not see?"

"My trust was misplaced," said Dumbledore simply. "Obviously, I made a mistake. I see in people the ability to change. With Severus, I was clearly wrong."

"But this mistake cost you your life," said James. "That stupid git murdered you. How can you be so relaxed about that? You were the main asset in the war against Voldemort…. What are they going to do without you? What is Harry going to do without you?"

"I was never the greatest asset to our cause, James," Dumbledore said with a slight scowl. "Harry has to defeat Voldemort alone. Maybe with me gone, he will finally be able to do just that." He paused as James looked at him like he was insane. "Everything happens for a reason," he said at last. "I was meant to die, if only to give Harry the strength to live – to keep fighting.

"And didn't you listen to him just now, James? Didn't you listen to him when he confronted Tom Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets? I will never truly have left that school until none there are loyal to me. I'll be with him, and he knows that. Now, if you don't mind, there are some lovely looking desserts on the table over there and I'd like to try a few."

With that, he rose to his feet and moved away while Frank Longbottom muttered softly, "You'd think that being dead would make him a little less cryptic."

* * *

The air was sweet as a thick night sky fell upon them during what they saw on Earth to be about noontime. Staring up into the sky was like looking upon millions of different worlds, different realities. It was, Dumbledore thought, like literally gazing into the Heavens.

He had eaten some of everything available, from succulent strawberries dipped in dark chocolate to mouthwatering pork chops. At the moment, he was snacking on some cheese drenched French fries while chatting with Alice who wanted to get in a few last words before her imminent return to Earth. Frank had gone a few minutes prior, and it was only a matter of time before she too would be pulled back to her body.

"It was wonderful to see you again, Albus, as always," she smiled.

"Likewise," said Dumbledore kindly.

"I sometimes wish I could just stay here," Alice said abruptly. "It's nice to really see people, to talk to them and feel the way I used to before…. Well, at least I get to see my son in person," she sighed, glancing at Lily who was walking their way, "at least I can reach out and touch him."

"Hey," said Lily, "do either of you know where James and Sirius have gotten to? I can't find them anywhere."

Dumbledore shook his head, still absorbing Alice's words. Alice looked as though she was about to say something, but before she got the chance, she vanished as if carried away on a breath of wind.

* * *

Author's note- Mmkay, so the next chapter should be a little more Marauder centered. I guess that's good news for you, KillinBuddy, the hater of all things Dumbledore. Stay tuned and review please!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer- Certainly not mine.

Author's note- **Thanks to:**

**Excessivelyperky- **Okay, so here's the thing. In regards to the actual book series I do think that there is something going on with Snape. There were just too many weird occurrences in book six for me to completely accept that he's evil. Definitely not saying that he really isn't, but some of the things he said were just a little too suspicious. So basically, I do agree with you. In this story, I should be incorporating this theory but I'm not completely sure how yet. Guess we'll both just have to see where it goes. I think you're right about Sirius, though … I need to make him rant more. **Alex202- **Thank you, thank you, thank you! **KillinBuddy- **I don't know how I'll show the final battle yet … it'll be a while before I get to that point anyway. I KNOW it won't be from the Longbottoms' point-of-view you weirdo. I could just picture them, insane, breaking out of St. Mungo's. Sorry, but no. **CowsLovePennies-** We'll make Snape gay in our stories - I have a slightly different plan in mind for mine. So glad to hear that I "put the fun back in funeral." You're a freak, we all love ya (like a sister), and keep reading! (Not comprehending, but at least reading.) **Blusgr2- **Hey, I think you'll find this chapter interesting … it has a lot of "Kaelyism" in it. Don't get weirdly offended by any of the freaky theories that I have, because you gotta remember that I'm pretty much ignorant to all religions except my own mess of beliefs. The bagels are coming, and thanks for the review! Oh, and as you so often tell me, get your mind out of the gutter!

**Thanks, everyone, for stopping in!**

The Next Great Adventure

Chapter 4

"Would you slow down?" shouted James to Sirius as he led their way through a thick grove of aspen trees on the far side of the courtyard. "Really, Sirius, it's not like we're going to die … you have plenty of time to say whatever the hell it is you need to tell me!"

"It's more fun this way," said Sirius grimly, "gives the illusion of an urgent meeting or something."

"Mmhmm … and what exactly would be discussed at this 'meeting?'" asked James, pushing past a curtain of leaves clinging to the spidery tree branch in his path.

Sirius stopped abruptly, causing James to run right into him as he turned to speak.

"Do you think Dumbledore is keeping something from us?" he asked.

"What?" said James, bemused.

"All that stuff he just said - it doesn't add up. 'A mistake…' I don't think he's telling us everything."

James shrugged. "I guess it didn't really make any sense," he said. "I mean, there's just something about the whole situation that I still don't understand."

"Like how if he was 'meant to die,' then why did he plead for his life?"

"For example," nodded James.

"There's definitely more to that slimy idiot's betrayal than Dumbledore is letting on, but why doesn't he just tell us?" said Sirius, sitting down on a nearby rock. "He's dead, it's not like it'll make much of a difference."

James moved to sit beside him before beginning slowly, "The dead keep secrets too, as you should already know, Sirius. Maybe Dumbledore suspects something … that might explain why he hasn't told us."

"Maybe," said Sirius absently. "That man has always been way too damn perceptive."

"Yeah," James began, "not to mention the fact that when you're not constantly sitting at the edge of the basin, you're dwelling over that stupid veil. That could've tipped him off."

"You think?" said Sirius with a smile. "You know what amazes me is that I've been here a year now, and Lily still hasn't had any suspicions. Dumbledore, meanwhile, has been here three days and already he may know what I'm really doing." He paused for a moment and then exclaimed suddenly, "Wait, I'm not amazed! I'm creeped out."

James laughed awkwardly and paused to consider his words before beginning again. "Padfoot?" he said.

"Yeah?"

"What exactly _is_ it you're doing?" he stopped for a moment as Sirius glanced at him questioningly. "I mean, I know your death was, well, _unconventional_, but it happened, there's no going back. Why can't you just let go of the veil when, no matter how you died, you're dead – it's done?"

Sirius sighed, picking up a small golden aspen leaf and twirling its stem between his fingers while he pondered his answer. He knew that it had been somewhat pointless for a while to keep such a relentless hold on the mysteries of that veil, but there was something that just wouldn't let him let go. It fluttered through his thoughts and he knew, somehow, that he would figure it out.

"Because I just need to know, James," he said finally. "I've needed to know exactly how that archway works, what happened to me when I went through it. Your son called out to me from the other side of that veil; I heard him as I was being ripped from Earth."

James looked over at Sirius soberly, but didn't say anything, allowing him to continue.

"The living get over the dead far faster than the dead get over the living," he said. "It's easier for them because they obviously have life to contend with…. I've been dwelling over it all this time, James, so I can help him – so I can help Harry."

"But you just said yourself that you've been here a _year_, Sirius," said James, "and you haven't figured out anything."

"Oh, but I have," Sirius said, a slight smile curving the edges of his mouth.

"What are you talking about?" asked James.

"And the next issue up for discussion -."

"Cut it, Sirius," said James, becoming irritated as his friend smiled again. "What do you mean you did figure something out?"

Sirius didn't say anything for a moment. He felt a drop of water fall onto his hand, but it wasn't as though he really felt it. It wasn't cold and it wasn't at all earthly. Slowly and steadily, it began to rain.

Ignoring the weather, Sirius turned back to James. "Have you ever seen a baby up here, Prongs?"

"What?" James sighed.

"A baby – have you ever seen a baby in Heaven?"

"Well, no I guess not," said James, completely at a loss for where Sirius was going with this. "I suppose I just always thought they moved on immediately; they never got attached to the world so they never had to let go of it."

"Yeah, see, that's what I thought too," said Sirius and James didn't like the expression that had suddenly appeared on his face. It was the look of someone about to divulge an insane, unfounded, _marauderish_ theory. "But don't you think we would have seen their souls pass through as they moved on?" he asked. "I mean, you would think that we'd at least feel them go by as they went on their way."

He looked at James expectantly, clearly anticipating a response of some sort. When all he received was a look of pure confusion and disbelief, however, he continued, "I don't think babies _do_ come up here, James – I think they go back."

"_What?" _spluttered James, dimly realizing that he'd probably asked this question at least ten times within the last hour.

"I think that, because babies die so young and have never gotten a chance to live a full life, their souls don't come all the way through the veil. They go back for a second chance."

"Reincarnation?" said James.

Sirius nodded. "It's like all those religions that maybe don't even believe in Heaven, or people that don't believe in God at all. Maybe they fulfill their own theories and beliefs … maybe they go back."

"Okay," James began, "You do realize that this has got to be the craziest thing you've ever come up with, including that time in sixth year when you were convinced that Snape was really a girl, right?"

Sirius sighed. "Look, the point is that if this idea of reincarnation is real, then there may be a way that we can use the veil to get back to Earth."

James stared at Sirius blankly, his dark, messy hair plastered to his head with the rain that never felt wet. Sirius had always been reckless, daring, and sometimes frankly stupid, but there was something with this idea that was different than any of the others he had developed over the years of his life. Through the sudden blazing determination that had sprung into his eyes, James could tell that he really, deeply believed in whatever he was talking about now. Reluctantly, not sensing an end to this conversation any time soon, he managed to sigh, "Explain please."

"Well," began Sirius, with a little more enthusiasm than James was feeling at the moment. "I figure that, since I died going through the veil in the Department of Mysteries, there must be a way that people can go through it up here to get back to Earth. You can hear the people on the other side of it from both Heaven and Earth, James. You can hear the souls moving through it, whispering, and moving it ever so slightly. That archway has to be a two-way passage between the two places - it makes sense."

"Alright," James began slowly, trying hard to comprehend what Sirius was saying, "so you want to go back through the veil so you can be reincarnated and live again?"

"Not exactly," said Sirius. "If I was to be reincarnated, then I would have to start all over again, which would be completely unhelpful and a little bit weird." He winced slightly. "No, what I'm thinking is that if we can get someone close enough to the other side of the veil down on Earth, then maybe one of us can go through it and _in_ to them."

"_Excuse me?" _James choked, hoping he hadn't just heard what he thought he did.

"Look, it's like I just told you, the archway and the veil are a passageway. The people on either side of it are simply lurking out of each others' sights. I think somehow, if there was someone directly on the other side, we could sort of use their body by just going into it, instead of floating away or something like that to be reincarnated."

"You think?" said James, standing up now. "_You think?_ Sirius, for something like this you better be pretty damn sure! This isn't some school-boy prank – this is someone's life we're dealing with! We don't even know if this would work! What if you get stuck in someone else's body? What if their soul somehow gets lost or reincarnates itself? What if -."

"What if it _does_ work?" Sirius broke in. "What if we simply go into their body, and they switch places with us and spend some time in Heaven? What if you could help your son?"

James was quiet for a moment as he stood there glaring at his friend. "You don't know that it'll happen that way," he said at last.

"Funny thing about Heaven," Sirius began, "sometimes the answers just come to you. Definitely not all the answers, mind you, but there are some things that you can feel with the utmost certainty. There are some things that you can't explain, but you just know. This is one of those things." He grinned suddenly, knowing exactly how to hit James next. "I don't know why you're arguing anyway," he continued, "you already know you're going to help me. You always do … _we_ always do."

James sighed heavily and sat back down with his head in his hands. Without looking up, he said, "But what about fate, Sirius? What if everything does happen for a reason? Maybe we weren't meant to help in this war, and that's why we died."

"Or maybe we were meant to die so we could help. Isn't it possible that I went through that veil so I could figure out how to use it? You just have to look at it from a different point-of-view, Prongs."

The rain had slowed to a gentle drizzle now, and the sky was beginning to open up into a deep blue, already shadowed with a faint rainbow. James glanced up at Sirius with a look of resignation on his face. There was no way around it.

"Fine," he said. "Whose body do you want to hi-jack?"

* * *

Author's note- Well, the next chapter should (meaning in all hope) be up soon. I know it's redundant to keep asking for reviews, but just remember that I love them, and anytime you want to share anything I would greatly appreciate it.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: If only….

Author's note- Yeah, so I sort of inadvertently lied. I know it's been more than a month since I last updated. I am here, but I've had a lot of stuff going on and chapter five was a bit harder to figure out than I initially thought it would be. Hope I still have some readers, and thanks to those who have been waiting patiently!

**Thanks to: Excessivelyperky**- Thanks … that would be interesting if he did that to Snape. More like hilarious actually. Hmm … Sirius drunk in Snape's body. Very interesting. Not gonna work for the story, though. Totally going to have to work off of that for _something._ **Laubo- **Yeah, the whole war thing, kinda important. Gion back in religion? You're really grasping. Yippee, thanks for the review! **Alex202- **I'll definitely try not to drop Dumbledore. It may take a little while to establish his story fully, but he's certainly still there.** KillinBuddy- **You scare me. Darth Bob would love it here….**  
**

**Thank you to all readers and anyone who ever takes the time to give me some input!**

The Next Great Adventure

Chapter 5

Sirius sat beside the basin the next morning devouring a bagel loaded with Philadelphia Cream Cheese and going over the plan once more in his head. He watched as Remus Lupin busied himself with the tea kettle in the kitchen of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, and he began pondering on how exactly they would need to go about doing this.

The key to getting Remus (the one living person they could really use for this, as he was the only true Marauder left on Earth) into the Department of Mysteries and in front of the archway was to somehow tell him to do so. James had told Sirius around the time of his arrival to Heaven that the dead can still influence the living; they can act as a 'guardian angel,' guiding those on Earth. It's like when someone loses their way in a forest and has no idea where to go until some small voice directs them, leads them in the right direction. It's why Sirius felt compelled to ask Cornelius Fudge for his newspaper four years ago during his visit to Azkaban.

The problem wasn't communicating to Remus what he needed to do, it was actually getting him to do it. Even if he did feel the need to suddenly make a visit to the Ministry of Magic, it would be extremely difficult for him to get in by himself. Ever since Voldemort's return (or at least as it was known to the majority of the Wizarding World) security at the Ministry had been heightened immensely. Remus wouldn't be able to just walk in, especially without someone who worked at the Ministry to accompany him.

And then, as a disheveled Tonks clambered into the kitchen and greeted Remus with a smile, it occurred to Sirius that there was someone that could smuggle him in. "That's it," Sirius muttered.

"What's 'it?'" said a cheerful voice from behind him. He turned to see Lily gazing at him, and then glancing at the basin.

"Oh, er, nothing really," said Sirius quickly. "Just checking in on Remus and Tonks, you know, the whole relationship thing."

"Oh yeah," Lily breathed, taking a seat in a chair next to him. "You know, I'm glad Remus has decided to lighten up a bit and get together with your cousin. His life was beginning to bore me and I had started to think that he might be gay."

Sirius snorted into the last bite of his bagel. Considering Remus had had a deep fixation with Lily for a while back at Hogwarts (known to just about everyone in Gryffindor except for the future Potters, of course), Sirius had some trouble picturing him as gay.

"Well come on, Sirius," Lily continued with a smile, "the guy has had the most uninteresting love life I have ever seen. It's a natural assumption to make."

"Fair enough," said Sirius, staying true to the promise he'd made Remus in their second year to take the secret of his affections to the grave and beyond.

"Anyway," Lily sighed, "I was wondering if you might want to take time out of your, erm, _busy_ schedule," she stole a contemptuous glance at the basin, "to maybe do something with me today?"

"Lily, I've told you a thousand times that I will never understand, nor will I ever try to understand, that bloody muggle game of golf."

Lily laughed. "We don't necessarily have to play golf," she said. "We can, er, play Quidditch or something…."

There was a mildly pleading note to this suggestion, even though Sirius was quite aware of how much Lily detested Quidditch, He could tell that she was only mentioning it to galvanize him into doing something other than just sitting here all day.

"Well thanks for the offer," he said kindly, "but I actually already have plans today."

"Really?" she replied, the shadow of concern behind her eyes vanishing slightly. "Doing what?"

"That would be between me and him," said Sirius, nodding toward the figure now approaching.

Lily rolled her eyes as her husband joined them. "Of course," she said. "You two have so many secret rendezvous' that I wouldn't be one bit surprised if it turned out you'd been hiding a more-than-Marauder relationship all these years."

She kissed James on the cheek as she rose to leave.

"That's you, Lily," Sirius muttered, "always attracting the 'gay' guys."

"What?"

"I said 'I'll catch you later for that game of Quidditch!'" he grinned mischievously. Lily scowled at him and then departed.

"What was all that about?" asked James, watching Lily's retreating back.

"Oh nothing, said Sirius dismissively. "Your wife just finds my death a little too boring is all."

"Wish I could," said James, smiling as he took Lily's seat.

"Yeah, yeah, we all feel for you, Prongs. Now let's get this started already."

"Okay, but Sirius, you have though this out fully, haven't you?" asked James in an oddly severe tone.

"What do you mean?" said Sirius.

"I mean that you have thought of every possible thing in this plan, right? Like the full moon for instance. I don't fancy being in Moony's body while he's, you know, _Moony_."

Sirius looked at him, an almost bored expression on his face. "Full moon was a week ago," he said, "a couple of days before Dumbledore died. Yes, I have thought of these things. Now can we start?"

"I guess so," said James, still eying Sirius warily. He seemed to steel himself for a moment, paused, and spoke again. "Erm, but one more thing before we do."

"Of course."

"Which one of us will go first? We obviously can't share Remus' body, so who's going down first?"

Sirius didn't say anything for a moment. He _had_ thought about this and he supposed that the answer was obvious. "Well, it should be you, shouldn't it?" he said. "You are Harry's father after all."

"Yeah, but …."

"What?"

"Harry's going to have a hard enough time believing that we're not a Death Eater, much less that we're his dead relatives in Remus' body. He's never even met me, and you know him better than I do. I may be his father, Sirius, but for two years you were."

"James - ," Sirius began awkwardly.

"It's alright," James interrupted. "Let's just do it."

* * *

Remus Lupin had been plagued with strange and disconcerting thoughts all day. He lay in the darkness of Sirius' old bedroom, the night pressing in close around him. He liked to lay here, to almost feel Sirius again. Not in a 'I secretly love my dead best friend' type of way, but rather just to remember him. Being here was like being a Marauder again, he didn't feel so alone anymore. 

It was in this room that Remus could usually go to think, to reflect, and to find some semblance of peace, even in the darkness that infested every corner. Tonight, however, as during the rest of his day, there was simply no escaping the images and thoughts consuming his mind. A fluttering, tattered black veil and a crumbling stone archway lingered with him no matter how hard he tried to think of something else. Blue flames, levels of blank and abandoned stone benches, and smooth daises that served as the doorsteps to death all haunted him incessantly. He hadn't thought about the Department of Mysteries this much since Sirius' death nearly a year ago, and he told himself that the upcoming anniversary was the only reason he was doing so now. This, combined with Dumbledore's recent passing, was surly to blame for these endless musings about a place he wished more than anything he could forget.

Somehow, though, Remus managed not to completely believe this theory. There was just something about it all that felt different than any other time he found himself dwelling on the Department of Mysteries. For some unexplained, indefinable reason, he knew that he had to go there. In every fiber of his being he could feel the unwanted need, the relentless urge to revisit the location of his best friend's death.

Overwhelmed by a sense of dreadful resignation, Remus drifted off to a restless sleep, already knowing what tomorrow's rising sun would bring.

* * *

Dumbledore gazed down at the courtyard from the high perch of his office window. The scene before him lay buried in a mist-like fog, swirling in silent eddies around the only two figures positioned by the basin. He didn't know what they were doing, he couldn't know what they were doing, and yet at the same time he knew exactly what they intended to accomplish. 

And that was why he didn't tell them. Sirius had always had the reckless desire to do the impossible. James would do anything he could for the ones he loved. No, they simply could not know. Fate, and the events, changes, and consequences that it bore, had to play out on its own.

* * *

Looking down into the basin, Sirius watched as one of his best and loyal friends carried out his plan. He remembered briefly the years during the first war, when friendships were clouded with suspicion. How he could have suspected Remus then of being a spy was beyond him. He would trust the man with anything, just as he did James. He only hoped that he could be as trustworthy. 

Remus had appealed to Tonks in order to enter the Ministry that morning. Security on the ninth level was more lax than on those above it, even considering the fact that it was here that Death Eaters had been caught a year before.

Remus crept along the Department of Mysteries corridor, all the while watched by James and Sirius who had followed his progress from the moment he had slipped away from Tonks in the Auror office. Under an invisibility cloak loaned to him by Mad-Eye Moody, he waited silently and patiently just outside the plain black door, not daring to open it himself for the numerous Stealth Sensoring Spells that had undoubtedly been placed around it. He waited, completely unaware of what lie ahead, a reckless sense of curiosity gradually building up inside of him. When a short, balding man - an Unspeakable - finally opened the door after some uncalculated stretch of time, Remus passed by him and into the circular room beyond, as light and as swift as a ghost.

Sirius looked up at James and they moved together toward one of the paths that was now bathed in soft moonlight. It was time.

* * *

The veil looked just as Remus remembered it. Flowing gently on a breeze of whispers and soft mutterings, shrouded in a cold mystery that was almost intoxicating. He was drawn to it, his feet planted firmly on the dais and his hands reaching forward barely an inch from the ebony material. He felt a presence reaching out to him, warm and familiar. 

And then all at once an unseen force began to pry him from his own body. He was leaving, going through the veil, but he didn't know why. Smothered in darkness, he soon saw a blinding white light breaking slowly on the horizon.

* * *

Author's note- Sorry if I went too fast or if it was too confusing, but I didn't want to stretch it out to be too boring either. If there's anything that needs to be clarified or corrected or something, please let me know. Thanks for reading. 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer- Yeah, yeah, not mine.

Author's note- I swear I'm not dead! It's still here! All these Star Wars stories with Laubo keep distracting me! For anybody still out there, here's chapter six. I'll dedicate this chapter to Lauren because she's had our story for so damn long that I finally decided to write on mine. I know, I'm knaggy, but I need something to write Laubo!

The Next Great Adventure

Chapter 6

The first thing Sirius felt was cold. Heart-stopping, mind-numbing, wonderful and inexplicable cold. He picked himself up from the ground where he had fallen into Remus in a heap. The invisibility cloak had slipped off of him and he hoisted it up quickly to cover his new form. Alive … he was alive. It was as if he was waking from a dream, like death had never happened. He was just here, exactly where he had disappeared a year ago, where he had vanished off of the face of the Earth.

Fighting the sudden urge to skip, Sirius began the ascent of the rows of stone benches to the great, circular hall beyond. His limbs felt heavy, he registered dimly, more solid in a way. It seemed to take much more effort to get around here than in Heaven. Taking care to move as quietly as possible, he closed the plain black door behind him and squinted as the walls spun, leaving blue streaks imprinted on his vision from the black tapers placed throughout the room. They came to a halt a moment later and, thinking that at least getting out would not be nearly as difficult as it was for Remus to enter, Sirius quietly requested the exit. A door flew open to his right and he slid through it with ease, his heart now racing with excitement.

Where should he go now? What should he do? It was as if the whole world was open to Sirius Black, alive, exhilarated, and full of purpose. He had forgotten what it felt like to be able to make a difference, to actually do something. He by-passed a guard on the way to the lifts, racing soundlessly to throw himself into the nearest empty one.

The Atrium was bustling with people, a sight that Sirius would have associated with something like last minute Christmas shopping in Hogsmeade had it not been for the agitated, tense expressions on each person's face. He moved slowly and deliberately, trying desperately not to bump anyone as he turned determinedly toward the Visitor's Entrance. Perhaps he'd go to Headquarters first? The sight of a young, pink-haired Auror, frantically searching for something – or someone rather – in the crowd, stopped him in his tracks. He couldn't just leave Tonks, he wouldn't do that to her … he wouldn't do that to Remus.

In a single, deft movement, he had snaked his way over to the panicked woman, grasped her wrist tightly in his hand, and led her into what appeared to be an empty office that stood nearby. Tonks gasped slightly, but did not jerk away as he closed the door behind them and pulled off the invisibility cloak.

"Remus!" Tonks squealed. "I've been looking for you everywhere! You can't just go wandering off, not now, you know that!" Sirius didn't say anything. The way she was chastising him made him feel almost like a child and he was oddly ashamed for some reason. "You must have some idea how suspicious this looks, right?" she continued. "I mean, I don't know whether you've been Imperioused or…." He could see her fingering her wand somewhere in the pocket of her robes.

"Listen Tonks -" he began hurriedly, but was cut off before he could contemplate an excuse.

"Tonks? It's not often that you call me 'Tonks,' Remus, not often at all."

Sirius cursed himself silently. He had forgotten that Remus, ever the proper, respectful one, had commonly taken to calling Tonks by her first name, Nymphadora.

"So who are you then?" asked Tonks suspiciously, slowly drawing out her wand.

"I'm not a Death Eater!" Sirius insisted, eying the wand warily.

"Oh, now I'm convinced."

Sirius sighed. This was not going to be easy, but the truth was the only way he'd ever get out of here. "It's me," he began lamely, "it's Sirius."

Tonks had clearly not been anticipating this particular response, for after gaping openly at him for a moment, she approached him swiftly and pressed the tip of her wand hard into his chest.

"I know it sounds insane," Sirius rectified carefully as he backed into a wall, "but I'm sure I can prove it!" Tonks glared at him skeptically. "Erm," he managed to utter, "well I-I know that Andromeda Black was your mother."

"Oh, how clever of you," Tonks snapped, digging the tip of her wand harder into his chest, "though any of the stupidest Death Eaters could have reached that conclusion you git."

"Right," Sirius recovered awkwardly, "but odds are none of them knows why she named you Nymphadora." Tonks paused for a moment, taken aback by these words. "I'm betting none of _them_, erm, stumbled shall we say, upon Andromeda's diary when they were fifteen. I'm guessing they didn't know she'd always had dreams of having a daughter, of naming her after her first and forever love's great-grandmother. Whoever said Ted Tonks' family had normal names?"

Tonks simply stared, lowering her wand ever so slightly as she searched Sirius' eyes. Apparently unable to discern a lie anywhere within their depths, she threw her arms around his neck and embraced him with all the strength she could muster. "But – how? How can you just … and where's _Remus_?"

"Remus and I just sort of switched places for a while," Sirius said rather evasively, attempting to avoid any major details at the moment – he really needed to be going. "Listen Tonks," he began, pulling away slightly to look her in the eyes, "I need to see Harry. I don't know how long I've got here … I have to help him. The last I checked he was at the Burrow with Molly and Arthur. Is he still there, or – "

"He left early this morning to spend one more night at his relatives' place," Tonks supplied. "He'll be back at the Burrow before noon tomorrow."

Sirius nodded. "Thanks." He turned to leave.

"Sirius," Tonks spoke, causing him to turn back at the door. "It was nice to see you again. There's so much I have to ask, so much I need to know…."

"I know," he sighed. "I have to help him Tonks."

She paused as he reached for the handle. "But, erm, Sirius?"

"Yes?"

"You said you switched places with Remus?"

"Yeah…."

"Did he, well, does he, you know, _know_ what you're doing?"

"Not yet," Sirius replied lightly.

"He's not going to be too happy…."

"And that's why it's a good thing James is already dead." On that note, Sirius grinned and left the room.

* * *

Remus Lupin had never pondered the afterlife. Although he had witnessed the deaths of too many friends throughout the years, he'd never really stopped to think about where they went or what happened to their souls. He supposed it came with being a werewolf. He didn't have an established religion, but whatever way he looked at it he could never imagine how something so impure and hated in life would find a place like Heaven in death. And even as a friendly hand gripped his wrist, eliminating the white light surrounding him and revealing an immaculate garden, he couldn't quite process how he could have found such a place, much less _before_ he died. He looked into James Potter's deep hazel eyes, somehow knowing that he wasn't in a dream.

"Er, hey Moony!" James said with the sort of awkward cheerfulness born of guilt and fear. "Welcome to Heaven! Oh, and uh, you're not dead by the way," he added as an afterthought. Remus, surprisingly, had already known this much. "You probably won't be able to talk for a while," James rambled on uncomfortably, "part of the procedure really – "

"What the hell did you do to me?" Remus broke in suddenly.

James looked at him, momentarily shocked. "And apparently I was wrong…."

"Look James," Remus spoke, not tiredly, not shakily, but with a barely concealed layer of slight anger and confusion nonetheless, "not that I'm not delighted to see my dead best friend, but why _am_ I seeing you at the moment?"

"Well," James began, "Sirius had this idea – "

"Sirius, of course," Lupin said, rolling his eyes. "He _would_ be the one to get me into trouble, even in death." Despite himself, and despite the situation, Remus cracked a small smile. "So where is he? What's he done now?"

"Er, he's sort of in your body," James said, offering his own smile as Remus' began to fade at these words.

"He's _what_? Sirius Black is _where_?"

"In your body. On Earth. Trying to help Harry."

"Oh no," Remus groaned, moving for the first time and sitting on a bench. "Oh God no."

"Geez Remus," James said in what could only be a mock-serious tone meant to add light to the situation. "I mean, I've never actually seen the guy, but I doubt you're supposed to say God's name in vain when you're in Heaven."

Remus glared at him.

"Look," James sighed, sitting beside his best friend, " I know it's weird, probably even dumb, and we didn't ask you – we couldn't ask you – but we had to try. Everything has gotten so bad, and we can see more up here, we know more. We had to do something."

"You had to do _this_?" Remus questioned, a pleading note in his voice. "James, have you forgotten the Polyjuice incident in fifth year?" He watched ruefully as James' face lit up in a reminiscent smile.

"Who could forget?"

"I was sick for _one day_, and Sirius paraded around the castle looking like me. I went back to classes the next day to about fifteen Ravenclaws coming on to me."

"Well that's not _so_ bad," James shrugged.

"Yeah, except they were all guys Prongs." He scowled as James snorted back his laughter.

"Okay, so it was that bad. But it's different now and you know it. Sirius may always be Sirius, but he's also Harry's godfather and your best friend. He's been dwelling over this veil for a year trying to figure out some way of going back and helping. He won't do anything to screw it up and he certainly won't go around trying to convince people you're gay. Well, he won't go to _that_ many people anyway…."

Remus grinned slightly. "He better not." A silence settled around them before he continued softly, "So it's the Marauders then."

"Yeah," James nodded, patting his friend on the back comfortingly, "yeah it is."

They smiled at each other, two friends lost in the same memories. The sound of someone crashing through the dense branches of a lilac bush to their left startled them though, causing them both to turn.

Lily Potter emerged from the brush and, sparing hardly a glance for Remus, spoke to her husband in a voice packed with fury. "James Potter, what did you do?"

* * *

Author's note- Right, so I'll try to get off my ass and write more now. Sorry it's taken me so long. Thanks to anyone who has actually stuck around, I appreciate it. I'd love a review if you've got the time! Oh and Lauren, one word about those Lauren Lines (yes, I did know I put them in) and I swear I'll go to your chemistry class and take a picture of Yates hugging you. Have a great day everyone! 


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